Rossignoli: Avocado import potential continues to grow in U.S.
Rossignoli: Avocado import potential continues to grow in U.S.
Jose Rossignoli, category general manager at Robinson Fresh, said the global avocado market is growing by leaps and bounds. And trends show that imports keep the domestic pipeline full.
“Avocados account for nearly half of tropical category dollar sales and have been up in sales each year since 2010,” he told The Produce News.
“While Mexico is the largest producer of avocados, many other Central and South American countries such as Chile and Peru are beginning to produce and export large volumes of the fruit to the U.S,” he continued. “Although the U.S. ranks second in the world for avocado consumption, it is the eighth-largest producing country, indicating that the U.S. is one of the largest importers of avocados in the world. The key to global adoption of this fruit will be a continued focus on education as well as increased usage in restaurants and on menus.”
Robinson Fresh is C.H. Robinson Worldwide’s newly rebranded produce division. C.H. Robinson is headquartered in Eden Prairie, MN.
Robinson Fresh provides its retail, wholesale and foodservice customers with year-round supplies of avocados from Mexico, California, Peru and Chile. “Robinson Fresh is able to meet customer’s exact needs due to C.H. Robinson’s flexible supply chain, large network of carriers and strategically placed distribution centers,” Rossignoli stated.
The company exclusively markets and distributes “Green Giant Fresh” branded avocados in bulk and three-, four-, and five-count bags, as well as bulk organic avocados under Robinson Fresh’s proprietary “Tomorrow’s Organics” brand.
“In addition to providing high-quality and consistent fruit supply to customers, ‘Green Giant Fresh’ is the only fresh produce brand featuring Box Tops for Education on their packaging,” Rossignoli stated.
“Box Tops for Education is one of America’s largest school fundraising loyalty programs, and over 90,000 schools currently participate,” he added. “According to Box Tops for Education 2014 research, 40 million households clip box tops, and 27 million are households with kids. In addition, schools earned more than $80 million during the 2012-13 school year through the Box Tops for Education program.”
With gaining global acceptance and category growth, Rossignoli said Robinson Fresh continues to work with retailers to increase product familiarity within the retailer’s specific customer base.
“Some tried and true methods of promoting this category are in-store demos, sampling and educational outreach regarding the fruit’s various health benefits,” he went on to say.
“For example, Robinson Fresh’s convenient three-count bags of ‘Green Giant Fresh’ avocados include cutting and storing information and recipes that retailers can add to their websites and Facebook pages as part of their engagement with customers,” he added.
